by Liv Brywood
The next time she wandered too far away from the den, he’d grab her and take her to a cave where no one could hear her scream. He’d spread her soft little thighs and take what Nosh was too weak to claim for himself. Mazus wasn’t stupid. He read the lust in the alpha’s eyes but could also tell he hadn’t acted on it. Just another bit of proof that Nosh was too spineless to be alpha.
When Mazus took his rightful place as alpha, the pack would bend to his will or face exile. Or maybe he’d just kill everyone who didn’t accept him as their new leader. That would be better. He couldn’t risk having anyone return to challenge his authority.
In the meantime, he’d use Gwen to satisfy his lust. His groin tightened until the length of his rigid flesh pressed up against his belly. As he slowly stroked the shaft, he pictured Gwen bound and spread wide. Oh yes, she deserved it. She’d been born to be a slave for someone like him. Zane knew it. That’s why he’d raped her. But the human had been careless and had let her escape. Mazus wouldn’t make the same mistake.
Chapter 7
Two days had passed since Gwen had kissed Nosh at the stream. She couldn’t stop staring at his unbelievably sexy body. As he waded into the Silver Creek River, sunlight glowed across his bronzed skin. She’d twisted his black hair into a long braid which fell halfway down his back. As he ducked under the water, she sighed. With each passing day, her time with him became more precious. She knew she wouldn’t stay with him forever. He’d be fully healed soon and she’d have to return to her den.
Over the last few days, Nosh must have sensed her withdrawing from him. He’d become increasingly physical with her, offering to give her back rubs and foot massages. Whenever he focused his full attention on her, she couldn’t help but melt.
She hadn’t had a nightmare in days. Maybe because she felt so safe lying next to him. Although she loved snuggling up against him at night, she knew she needed to pull back. She couldn’t afford to have a false sense of hope. She was here for a job and that was all.
As Nosh rose from beneath the surface of the river, he grinned and splashed water at her. “What are you still doing out there? Come in. It feels amazing.”
“In a minute.”
“I’m holding you to it.”
She couldn’t help but smile. She’d never met anyone who could be so playful and sweet in one moment and powerful the next. The way he worked out the squabbles between pack members showed her exactly why he’d become alpha. He deserved a worthy mate, someone with the same amount of strength and charisma. Someone who could be his equal. Someone other than her.
Nosh yelled, “I’m going to come out there and get you if you don’t get in here soon.”
“I’m coming.”
She hurried along the sandy shore. As she splashed into the water, he swam to meet her.
“I can’t remember the last time I felt this good,” he said.
“Sunshine and fresh air does a lot to heal a person.”
“And good company helps too.”
As he moved to loop his hands around her waist, she swam away. She couldn’t keep falling into his arms. Eventually she’d have to leave, so why make it harder than it needed to be?
He paddled behind her. “What’s wrong?”
When she reached the far side of the river, she stopped. Years ago, a deep pool had formed near the bend in the river and the wolves used it as a swimming hole.
He moved closer. “Is everything okay?”
She leaned back until she floated on the surface of the water. “Fine.”
“Are you sure? You seem… I don’t know… upset?”
She rolled up and leaned against a bolder. “I was just thinking that you’re almost back to normal. We should start thinking about when I should leave.”
He frowned. “Leave?”
“Yes. We both knew I wasn’t going to stay forever.”
“But I still need you.”
“You’re able to walk now. Your arm is healed. I can’t do much more for you.”
As he gazed into her eyes, her belly fluttered. God, what was it about him that made her want to cling to him and never let go?
“I was hoping you might want to stay a few more days.”
“I really should get back to the den. I haven’t heard any news from Akila about Diana and I want to make sure she’s okay.”
“I can send someone to get an update.”
He wasn’t making this easy. She couldn’t understand why. Well, if she really wanted to be honest, it might have something to do with the breathless kisses they’d shared.
She said, “I guess I could stay a few more days.”
A smile spread across his face. “Great.”
He floated closer and stopped right in front of her. He placed his hands on the boulder on either side of her shoulders. A spark of a smile played across his lips.
“What?” she asked.
“I love seeing you smile.”
“You make me smile.”
“I’m glad. You deserve to be happy.”
She surprised herself by saying, “I am.”
For the first time in months, a sense of contentment relaxed the tension in her body. She wanted to thank him for making her feel normal again. Maybe that’s what she was feeling for him, gratitude. Nothing more. That explained a lot.
He said, “A penny for your thoughts.”
“I’m just happy.” She splashed water in his direction.
“Oh, I see.”
He laughed as he lunged toward her. She shrieked and swam under his arms. As she surfaced on the other side of him, she turned. When she didn’t see him emerge from the river, panic skittered across her chest.
“Nosh?”
A hand grabbed her ankle and pulled. She lost her footing and fell back into the water. She kicked and thrashed to the surface only to find herself imprisoned in Nosh’s arms. They were both breathing hard and laughing.
As she caught her breath, she smiled at him. For a second, she forgot all about trying to resist his alpha charm. But as he leaned to kiss her, she twisted to the side. His lips found her cheek instead of her lips. He pulled back slightly and gave her a questioning look.
She swallowed and looked away. “We should head back.”
He cocked his head to one side. “You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?”
“Of course.”
There was no way she’d admit that every time he touched her, she wanted to wrap her arms around him and never let go. She wouldn’t admit that she lay awake deep into the night wondering why she was so drawn to him. And she definitely wouldn’t admit that every time he kissed her, she cursed the man who’d taken her innocence. Nosh deserved someone pure, someone whole. Someone who hadn’t been dirtied by the perversions of an insane human.
No matter how much she tried to feel clean, she never did. She’d been desecrated on the inside. Zane had defiled and tainted her forever. She wasn’t good enough for Nosh and never would be. She wrapped her arms around him and hid her face in his shoulder so he wouldn’t see her shame.
***
Nosh sensed the change in her as soon as she smashed her face into his chest. Something was bothering her but she wouldn’t tell him what was wrong. He hated feeling this helpless, but he didn’t know what to do to make her open up to him. He’d stolen a few kisses here and there, but just when he thought they were becoming closer, she’d pull away.
He stroked her hair. If only he could see inside her pretty little head. He held her for a long time as the river rushed past them. He had a feeling that if he let her go right now, she’d float away from him forever.
He glanced at the black clouds gathering over the mountain. “Are you ready to head back?”
“It looks like it’s going to rain.”
He waded to the shore. After stepping out of the water, he used his hands to sluice the liquid from his chest and legs. Chilly air swirled around his legs. If he could shift, he’d be much warmer, but he wasn’t sure he could surv
ive the transformation. It was too dangerous to be caught mid-shift. He couldn’t risk getting worse now that he was finally getting back to normal.
As Gwen stepped out of the water, he gulped. Several rays of sunshine broke through the gathering clouds to illuminate her glistening body. He ran a hand over his tangled hair. God, she was stunning.
Short strands of golden hair framed her face to give her an angelic glow. Water trickled down between her full breasts to mark a trail he’d love to follow with his tongue. Droplets roamed across her belly and down her thighs. He’d lick off every last drop if he could.
When his gaze returned to her face, she frowned. Oh, crap. He’d been staring again. Although he tried to keep himself from looking at every inch of her voluptuous body, he couldn’t help himself. He hadn’t been with another wolf in weeks. His alpha blood ran hot. In the past, he’d amused himself with the very willing women of his pack, but none of them inflamed his desire the way Gwen did. She was perfect.
“You’re staring,” she said.
“You’re so beautiful, I can’t help but look.”
She wrapped her arms across her chest. “We should get going.”
He stepped closer to her and brushed the back of his knuckles across the front of her arm. As he leaned to kiss her, she pulled away.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
Before he could question her further, a fat drop of rain landed on his forehead. “I guess we need to go.”
She started up the path toward the mountain. As he trailed her, he studied the zigzag of scars across her back. They would probably never disappear, but he didn’t care. Outer beauty faded, but what was in a person’s heart didn’t. Gwen was everything he wanted in a mate. Strong, brave, compassionate, and he’d be lying if he didn’t admit that she was also the sexiest woman he’d ever met.
Deep in thought, he trudged up the mountain trail. Enormous granite cliffs jutted up on each side of the path to loom over the tiny valley. Rain fell in increasing velocity. The risk of flash flooding made him quicken his pace. A small stream formed on the side of the trail but it could swell into a river at any moment.
Gwen slid in the wet earth. She regained her footing but slowed her pace. “We should have left earlier.”
“The storm came out of nowhere.”
“We’re almost there.”
When she slipped in the mud again, he caught her. “Whoa.”
“I almost fell on my face.”
“I got you,” he held her for a moment before releasing her.
She turned and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks.”
He stepped closer and brushed a few soaked strands of hair from her forehead. “I was hoping—”
A rumbling sound pieced the relative silence. His head whipped around then up.
“Look out!”
He shoved her forward and dove to the side as a huge boulder careened down the mountain. It landed right where they’d been standing and shattered into three huge pieces.
“Are you okay?” she cried.
“Yep. You?”
“That almost killed us.”
“I know.”
He peered up the mountain to check for more loose rock. A little rain shouldn’t have loosened up a boulder of that size. But maybe it was only being held up by some dirt. Snow could shift rocks in the spring and turn them into potential killers. High up on a ridge, a shadow moved. For a second, it looked like a wolf, but then it was gone. Probably just a trick of the light.
“I want to get back to the den,” Gwen said.
“Come on.”
He grabbed her hand and trudged through the thickening mud. As they rounded a bend, the sound of breaking branches followed by a loud crash made him spring into action. He rushed forward, tugging her along. Another boulder shattered on the trail. The whole mountain was unstable. They needed to move fast or risk being hit by one of the two ton rocks.
He ran as quickly as he could, which wasn’t very fast. Another set of boulders crashed onto the trail, missing them by inches.
“Run!” Gwen screamed.
He gathered up what little strength he had and pumped his arms and legs. Gwen raced toward the gate to the den.
“Open the gate,” Gwen yelled.
Fadian called down. “Where’s Nosh?”
“Here,” he gasped as he stumbled and fell to his knees.
The gate swung open and two wolves hurried out to help him up. He teetered toward the opening to the den. A few minutes ago he’d been feeling pretty good, but now he just wanted to collapse onto his bed.
As the other wolves half-dragged him to his room, he groaned. A shark pain radiated out from his ribcage. The rocks hadn’t hit him, but the running couldn’t have helped his injuries.
Gwen said, “Put him on the bed.”
He tried to sit, but doubled over from the pain.
Gwen carefully laid him down. “Where does it hurt?”
“My side.”
“It’s probably the bruised rib. You need to rest. We shouldn’t have gone all the way to the river.”
“We would have been fine if those boulders hadn’t come down the mountain.”
Lucian shoved the curtain aside and strode into the room. “What happened?”
Gwen said, “We were on our way back from the river and the storm broke. Some of the rocks came loose on the side of the mountain and almost crushed us.”
Lucian frowned. “We keep the trail well maintained and check the stability of the rocks every spring. A little rain shouldn’t have freed them. I’ll send a group up there to secure the area as soon as the storm lets up.”
“That sounds good.”
“I’ll go round up a crew.” Lucian turned to Gwen. “Do you need anything while we’re out? More herbs? More water?”
“Water.”
“Consider it done. Take care of him.”
“I will.”
As soon as Lucian and the other wolves left the room, Gwen came to his side. She ran her fingers over his ribs. “Tell me where it hurts.”
She pressed and prodded until she reached a tender spot.
Nosh growled. “There.”
“It’s the same rib. Damn, I knew I should have made you stay in bed a few more days.”
“I insisted.”
“You’re so damn stubborn.”
“I’m an alpha.” He flashed a lopsided grin.
“Ugh.”
As she turned away, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back. “Don’t worry. I was on the mend before, I’ll be fine in another day or two.”
“You have to listen to me. You have to stay in bed.”
His tone dropped seductively. “Want to know what will make me feel better?”
Her lips parted to release a puff of air. She shook her head as if afraid of hearing his answer.
“You,” he whispered.
“Me?”
“Um, hum.” He pulled her closer.
She blushed. “You’re such a flirt.”
“You inspire me.”
“I need to make your tea.”
“Not yet. Just lay down with me for a second.”
“But—”
“Just a second.”
She smirked. “We both know it’s not going to be just one second.”
Chapter 8
Nosh watched the rise and fall of Gwen’s chest. She’d rolled onto her side to face him before falling into a deep sleep. Dark circles hung under her eyes. She didn’t sleep nearly enough. She’d confessed her fear of having another nightmare. So far, she’d only had the one from the other night. He wished there was a way to help keep the bad dreams at bay.
The curtain to the room moved to the side to reveal Lucian’s face. In a soft voice he said, “I didn’t want to wake you earlier.”
Nosh slowly slid his arm out from under Gwen’s head. She whimpered for a moment before settling her head onto the pillow. He climbed over her and went to stand by the fi
re.
Lucian joined him. “We have a problem.”
“What?”
“I sent a few guys up to check for loose boulders. They found something.”
A sliver of dread sliced through his belly. “This doesn’t sound good.”
“Fadian found several sets of rope and long branches wedged under some of the largest rocks overlooking the trail.”
The implication hit him square in the chest. “Shit.”
“Those rocks didn’t fall on their own. Someone set a trap.”
“Who would want to hurt us?”
“I don’t know. But whoever it was wanted to do more than hurt you. Getting hit by just one of the boulders would have been enough to kill you.”
“True.”
“And there’s something else.”
“What?”
“I’m starting to wonder if your fall off the mountain was really an accident.”
A flash of adrenaline coursed through his veins. “You’re thinking I had help going over the side?”
“It’s possible.”
Nosh frowned. “Do you think it’s a human trap?”
“No. We found paw prints in the area. It was a wolf.”
The muscles in Nosh’s jaw worked overtime. “Did you try scenting him?”
“We tried, but the scent was at least a week old. Too old to track.”
“It’s almost been a week since the first accident.”
“Which may not have been an accident.”
On the bed, Gwen stirred. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. “What’s going on?”
Nosh relayed the information from Lucian. As he finished he said, “I don’t want you going anywhere without a guard. Not even to the river to get water. Not until we figure out what’s going on.”
She paled. “Someone’s trying to kill us?”
He went to her and wrapped his arms around her trembling body. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
He angled his body back toward Lucian. “Round up all the wolves. I want to talk to everyone.”
Gwen said, “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Whoever set the trap could be in the den right now.”